THE HOODWITCH: WITCH TIPS + HOROSCOPES 8/16-22/2017
Witch Tips
The Solar Eclipse is called the Great American Eclipse for a reason – we in the USA are experiencing this Eclipse extra powerfully as it will be seen across the whole Union. On August 21st is the Full Solar Eclipse at 11:30am PST. A Solar Eclipse is an extra powerful New Moon, and this one is hitting the 29th degree of Leo. Your reality is likely to change up on you, and the energy is likely to have you jumpy, quick to react, and totally overwhelmed.
It’s easy to talk about the Eclipses like they are singular events, but really they are part of a much larger process. Their energies build up over time and then reveal themselves for months to years after the actual event. Some people will experience big, ground-shaking stuff this week, but many of us will be confronted by heartfelt themes that spark intense feels and deep transformations over a longer period of time. It’s important to note that this isn’t just happening to you though; this is a global event. Our collective shadow is getting triggered, and that means that the world is one big, scary Trigger Tape Parade. So be patient and kind. And keep your eyes on your own homework. This isn’t the time for obsessing on what others should or shouldn’t be doing. Be the change you want to see in your relationships, your psyche, and in the world.
This Eclipse is happening in the sign of Leo, and this energy is far from delicate; it’s fierce. It’s not passive, it’s the very force of creation. It’s time to be healed by confronting your shadow, or you’ll risk having a piece of yourself destroyed by indulging it. Move in and move on, or get more deeply entrenched in the stuff that’s holding you back.
This Eclipse may have you feeling like you’re all alone with whatever you’re going through. You may feel like you don’t know yourself or the people around you. It’s easy to feel alone in the dark, but that doesn’t mean you are. Your shadow isn’t a bad place to be, even if it’s frightening. All Light casts a shadow; in fact, the brighter your light, the deeper your shadow. Now’s the time to step into your shadow and learn of it’s contents.
You are not alone and you are not without options, but know this: what you’ve been indulging in for the sake of your ego will only get you in trouble with your heart, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
Sometimes the pain of healing is worse than the hurt of staying stuck, but don’t resist discomfort just because it feels bad. Resist hate, fear, and oppression. Resist the attitudes, conditions, actions, and internal patterns that you know aren’t helping you to heal. Trust me, it’s the surest way out of whatever’s got you wrapped up.
This Eclipse is asking us to investigate our shadow on the collective level as well. The shame of genocide, slavery, the KKK, & institutionalized racism are the shadow of the USA. We as a nation cannot look away or turn our backs on what’s happened in our history or what’s happening in the here and now.
It’s not possible to be a spiritual person and do nothing, say nothing, and feel nothing about the emboldened rise of the White Supremacists (in all of their incarnations) in the world today. They are wrong in every possible way, and it is wrong to be silent while they take their stand. Stand against hatred and oppression in all of its forms, and stand on the right side of history, my loves.
Stand with people of colour.
Stand with Jews.
Stand with Muslims.
Stand with Immigrants.
Stand with Queers.
Stand with Women.
Stand with the poor and the houseless.
Stand with those with different abilities.
Stand with the old, the sick, and the weary.
Stand up for love.
Sit with your shadow, and own the ways in which you've benefited from the oppression of others.
Look inside yourself and use love – the most powerful force of creation! – to motivate change. Start with yourself and work with others, especially those who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences from you. Shame grows alone in the dark; step into the light, and let's heal our souls together.
Be a part of the solution.
XO
ARIES
March 21-April 19
You can be healed by love, or you can let it destroy you. When the people and things you love don’t make your life a more healthy and happy place to be in, something’s wrong, Aries. This week it’s time to heal or be healed. Own up to your self-destructive patterns and choices because they belong to you alone, and you alone can transform them. Practice radical self-love by stepping into your shadow and showing it compassion, not entitlement.
TAURUS
April 20-May 20
Where you find home is deeply personal; it may be in your memories, with a person, a place, or on your couch eating bonbons. The thing that’s for sure is that your sense of belonging and home is getting triggered right now, Taurus. It would be easy to get overwhelmed and check out, or worse, freak out and obsess, but it wouldn’t be wise. This is the time to seek to free yourself from the harmful dynamics and attitudes of your past and step into a new light. You’ve got this.
GEMINI
May 21-June 21
There’s what’s possible, and there’s what’s easily possible, and just because you don’t have the latter, doesn’t mean you can’t have what you really want.
This week you're likely to be wrestling with some demons that tell you that you’re not able to get what you want, but that isn’t true! Align yourself with the process of getting there, not the perfection you wish to achieve once you arrive. If you accept the next steps in front of you, you’ll get there in the exact right time, Twinny.
CANCER
June 22-July 22
You may tell yourself that you care about puppies and rainbows, that they’re the most important things to you, but the proof is in the pudding, Moonchild. What you value is reflected in your actions, not in your thoughts alone. This week is set to trigger your values. Step into your ambiguities, your unintegrated bits, and your fears this week. The only way to heal it is to feel it. Strive to unify your choices with your convictions, my love.
LEO
July 23-Aug. 22
This week you’re on call to step intentionally into your darkest parts. This is not a performance, and what other people do or don’t think of your actions is not your concern. Look beneath the surface and better get to know yourself, so you can truly understand what’s been motivating your actions of late. To paraphrase the words of Nayyirah Waheed: if someone does not want you, it’s not the end of the world, but if you don’t want you, the world is nothing but endings.
VIRGO
Aug. 23-Sept. 22
There’s so much happening inside of you that you may need to put people on ice for a minute and just do you. The Eclipse is calling you to childhood issues, long-standing patterns, and other submerged content, and resistance is futile, my friend. Step with intention into your landmines, and then love yourself into safety. Your fears are compelling, but they’re not facts. Take emotional risks that allow you to be more whole and to be more here, my love.
LIBRA
Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Everyone around you is stressing, and that’s the kind of thing that really gets under your skin. This week you’re on call to have healthy boundaries with your friends. You can show up without taking on other people’s stuff or trying to fix problems that aren’t yours. Your relationships may need to change, but this doesn’t have to be a defensive move or a reaction to forces out of your control. Step up, Libra.
SCORPIO
Oct. 23-Nov. 21
No matter how hard you try to get what you want, you’re unlikely to be happy if you want the wrong things, Scorpio. It’s time to get your ego and your heart on the same page, or you’ll feel split in two and all kinds of wrong. You have nothing to lose when you seek to live up to your hearts’ truth. This Eclipse is bringing up the shadow side of your conscious life goals; investigate it so you can create greater balance in your life, my love.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22-Dec. 21
It’s not possible to be truly free when you’re also hampered by the past. This week you have a powerful opportunity to shed some old, self-imposed limitations that you’ve become far too used to, Sagittarius. Instead of avoiding your anxieties, this is the time to breathe right into them; embrace your fears when you would rather evade them altogether, and you’ll end up with more information about yourself and more options for how to next proceed. Win/win.
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22-Jan. 19
If you don’t wanna be alone, don’t be, Capricorn! If you want more people, or greater intimacy in your life, the onus is on you to put yourself out there and make it happen. Whether you need to deepen your current relationships or build new ones, it’s time to step it up. The trick is to be willing to be vulnerable without any reassurance of things going the way you want them to. It’s far better to try and to fail then to never try at all. Don’t phone it in this week.
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20-Feb. 18
The Solar Eclipse is happening in your relationship house, and that means big things for you, Aquarius. Dynamics that you thought were resolved may pop back up as other people’s true feels are revealed to you this week. Show up for the people you love, even if you truly don’t want to. It may be you who needs to assert some boundaries and shift the landscape of your intimacies, and in that case, make sure to do it with compassion and patience. It’s clear mind, full heart, can't lose time.
PISCES
Feb. 19-March 20
What you need is peace, and when you need it is yesterday. You’ve been feeling frayed at the edges and have been stretching yourself too thin, Pisces. It’s time to call a time-out and reign your energies back inside of you. There’s a season for everything, and you can be most effective if you flow with the emotional weather fronts as they roll in. This week, you don’t have to make plans or figure anything out; all you have to do is you, my love.